Saddle-stirrup.



R. L. GRAHAM.

SADDLE STIRRUP.

. APPLICATION FILED OUT. 21, 1909.

982,810. Patented Jan.31,1911.

2 sums-sum 1.

' R. L. GRAHAM. SADDLE STIBRUI.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 21, 1909.

Patented Jan. 31,1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

ROY L. GRAHAM, OF GREENEVILLE, TENNESSEE.

SADDLE-STIRRUP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 21, 1909.

Patented Jan. 31, 1911.

Serial No. 523,828.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, R01 L. GRAHAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Greeneville, in the county of Greene, State of Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Saddle-Stirrups; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to stirrups and more particularly to the class of safety saddle stirrups.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of a stirrup in which the foot of a rider will engage means for opening the stirrup upon being thrown from the back .of an animal, thus avoiding the possibility of the riders foot hanging in the stirrup and therider being dragged by the animal.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a stirrup of this character in which the cross foot bar of the stirrup will be released so as to permit the same to open to free the foot of a rider should he be thrown from his horse or otherwise disturbed in his mount upon the animal.

A further obj ect of the invention is the provision of a stirrup of this cl'iaraeter which is simple in construction, thoroughly reliable and efficient in operation, and inexpensive in the manufacture.

"With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described in detail, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which disclose the preferred form of embodiment of the invention, to enable the same to be carried into practice and as pointed out in the claim hereunto appended.

In the drawings :Figure 1 is a side elevation of a stirrup constructed in accordance with the invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional View thereof. Fig. 3 is a side elevation showing the stirrup in open position. Fig. 4 is an edge view of the stirrup.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views in the drawings.

Referring to the drawings by numerals 5 designates generally the stirrup comprising outwardly diverging members or legs 6, the same being of uniform length and having interposed between their upper ends a spacer block 7 the same being held secure by means of a bolt member passed through the legs 6 and the said block, this bolt member being designated as at 8, and passed around the said block 7, is the usual stirrup suspension strap 9, connected to a saddle bracket (not shown) in the ordinary manner.

Connected to one of the legs 6, is a tread or cross bar 10, by means of a hinge 11, so as to permit the opening and closing of the stirrup and this tread or cross bar 10 provides a support on which the foot of the rider is placed. The other member or leg 6 at a point substantially one-half of its length is formed with a suitable recess to receive a trip lever 12, the same being movably held in the recess by means of spaced cars 13, through which is passed a pivot pin 14, and this lever 12 has one end normally extended across the space between the legs of the stirrup, while one end of the lever is formed with a nose 15, which latter is adapted to operate upon a latch bar 16, upon the tripping of said lever. This trip lever 12 has its free end normally resting in a notch 14: formed in the adjacent leg 6 so that the lever is held against falling or movement toward the tread or cross bar 10.

The latch bar 16, has its upper end con nected by a pivot 17, between a pair of spaced cars 18, the bases of which are suitably secured to the adjacent leg 6 of the stirrup. The upper free extremity of the latch bar 16, is formed with an offset bearing head 19, between which latter and the adjacent leg 6, is confined an expansion spring 20, which latter normally holds the latch bar in looking engagement with the tread or cross bar- 10, when in position for closing the lower end of the stirrup. The said latch bar has its lower end slightly inwardly curved as at 21, to correspond With the curved end of the tread 10, and formed in the inner edge of the latch bar 16, in proximity to the curved end 21 thereof is a notch 22, adapted to receive a lip or projection 23, of a plate 24, suitably fixed to the tread 10, and in this manner the latch bar 16 will lock the tread 10 against opening movement. It. is obvious that the expansion spring 20 effects the automatic locking of the latch bar 16, with the lip 23 on the tread 10, when the latter has been closed.

Presuming that a rider is being thrown from his mount upon an animal and that his foot is resting upon the tread 10 of the stirrup, the instant the foot is elevated within the stirrup it will engage the trip lever 12 which latter through the medium of the nose 15, will move the latch bar 16, so as to release the tread 10, which by gravity will swing to an open position thus opening the stirrup for freeing the foot of the rider therefrom.

WVhat is claimed is The herein described stirrup comprising a block having beveled end walls, legs fixed at their upper ends to the beveled end faces of the block and arranged in downwardly diverging relation to each other, one of said legs containing an elongated slot, disposed medially of its length, a trip lever pivoted to the slotted leg in alinement with the slot, the said lever being formed with a long arm and a short arm at right angles thereto, the said long arm being normally" disposed across the space between the legs, the short arm adapted for movement through the slot, a tread cross piece having one end connected to the leg opposite the leg containing the slot, a keeper fixed to the other end of the tread cross piece and having a lip, a latch bar overlying the slot and pivoted to the leg for engagement with the lip, an extension formed on said latch bar and an expansion spring interposed between the extension and the adjacent leg to normally hold the latch bar in engagement with the lip. I

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

ROY L. GRAHAM. lVitnesses W. M. HENARD, J. WV. GRAHAM. 

